


Christmas in the Common Room

by Patriceavril



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Canon Compliant, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Developing Friendships, Eventual Romance, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Heartwarming, One Shot, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-05
Updated: 2020-12-05
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:34:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27898381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Patriceavril/pseuds/Patriceavril
Summary: James is excited about Christmas, but nobody else is feeling very festive, so he comes up with a plan to spread Christmas cheer.
Relationships: James Potter & Lily Evans Potter, Marauders & Lily Evans Potter, Sirius Black & James Potter, Sirius Black & Remus Lupin & Peter Pettigrew & James Potter
Comments: 3
Kudos: 5





	Christmas in the Common Room

Saturday, December 4th, 1976

“Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the waaaayyyyy!”

“Prongs, I mean this in the nicest way possible, but could you kindly shut the hell up?” Remus looked up from the book he had been reading, curled in an armchair by the fire and wrapped in a blanket. There were dark circles under his eyes, and his skin had the pallor that revealed the approaching full moon. 

“Yes, I second that request, except I mean it in the rudest way possible.” Sirius was sprawled in an armchair across from Remus, his long legs dangling off one side and his dark hair falling into his face. He wore a deep scowl, although his bad temper was entirely unrelated to the phase of the moon.

“I never thought I’d say this, but I agree with Sirius,” added Lily from her table across the room. She was attempting to complete a Charms essay, but judging by the crumpled parchment at her feet and the adorable furrow in her brow, she was not having much success.

“Cheers, Evans,” Sirius replied, giving her a thumbs up. 

James stood with his arms crossed, surveying the occupants of the Gryffindor common room with disappointment. “Since Moony asked politely, or at least somewhat politely, I will stop singing, but I’d like to make it clear that my decision to stop singing has nothing to do with your rude request, Padfoot, nor yours, Evans.” He shook his head in disbelief. “What about you, Wormtail? I notice you’ve been quiet so far. Would you like to join the anti-Christmas club as well?”

Peter sat on the floor sorting through his bag, organizing necessary pieces of parchment into a neat pile and tossing unwanted pieces into the fire. He hesitated, then said,“Well, I suppose my opinion of Christmas is neither positive nor negative. I’d say my feelings towards it are neutral.” He held up a piece of parchment with several smudges and a large doodle of a Snitch at the top, then offered it to James. “Prongs, I think this is your Defense homework you were looking for the other day.”

James strode over and snatched the parchment out of Peter’s hand. “Yes, this is mine, what was it doing in your bag? I had to redo this instead of playing Exploding Snap with you lot, but don’t try to change the subject. Now, I’m sorry you are all a bunch of negative nancies today, but I have big plans for us, and you’re all going to participate whether you want to or not, because it’s Christmas, damnit!”

James loved Christmas. He loved the decorations, the carols, the cozy feeling of looking out the window as snow slowly blanketed the Hogwarts grounds. He loved picking out the perfect Christmas gifts for his friends and family and watching the expressions on their faces as they tore off the wrapping paper. Usually he loved setting mistletoe traps for Lily, but this year, in an effort to be less of an “arrogant toerag,” he had abandoned that tradition. Every December 1st he took it upon himself to decorate their dormitory, and this year was no exception: the hangings around their four poster beds had been charmed to show a pattern of Christmas trees across the usual Gryffindor crimson, paper snowflakes hung from the ceiling, and fairy lights twinkled from every available surface. This year, however, he wasn’t going to stop at just the dormitory.

“Today, gentlemen (and lady), we are going to decorate the common room. Since we have all chosen to skip the Hogsmeade visit, we need something to occupy our time, correct?”

“I have to finish this Charms homework,” Lily replied.

“I’m reading,” Remus added.

“I already made plans to sit here doing absolutely nothing,” Sirius said, slouching down even further into his chair.

Peter made no reply, but continued sorting through his seemingly endless pile of parchment.

“And, since the common room is basically deserted due to the aforementioned Hogsmeade trip, it’s the perfect opportunity to do some decorating,” James continued, acting as though no one had spoken. “I think we owe it to our fellow Gryffindors to spread some Christmas cheer.”

“Why didn’t you go into Hogsmeade?” Lily asked, setting down her Charms book with a sigh. “I figured it would be safe to do some work in here, since the library is full of first and second years.”

“Well, I wasn’t feeling up to going,” Remus replied, “but I told the rest of them to go on without me.”

“Nonsense,” James said, “we’re not leaving you behind, and distracting Evans is an added bonus.” He grinned and ran a hand through his hair, because although he’d been making an effort to break the habit, sometimes he really just couldn’t help it, and it was Christmas, after all. “Why haven’t you gone into Hogsmeade, Evans? No date? Because I know I’ve stopped asking you out at your request, but I could probably be persuaded if you’re in a real bind.” He winked at her.

Lily rolled her eyes. “No, Potter, I do not want you to ask me out, and it’s not for lack of a date that I skipped the Hogsmeade trip. If you must know, someone did ask me to go to Hogsmeade with him today, but I turned him down because he’s even more obnoxious than you are, believe it or not.” She smirked at James. “And don’t bother asking me who it was,” she continued, for James had opened his mouth to do just that. “I know you’ve been going around threatening to hex anyone who asks me out, even if you insist you’ve ‘moved on.’” James opened his mouth to protest, but Lily continued, raising her voice a bit. “No, the reason I’ve skipped the Hogsmeade trip is I have a lot of work to do and I have to patrol tonight so I won’t have time to get it all done. Plus I had a fight with Mary because she ignored my advice, and I didn’t much feel like apologizing or sitting in the Three Broomsticks alone, so there you are.”

Sirius raised his head up from its resting place on the arm of the chair. “Was the advice she ignored by chance about a certain devilishly handsome Gryffindor boy who is only stringing her along for a shag and isn’t worth the emotional baggage?” he asked pointedly.

“It might have been something like that,” she admitted, blushing.

“Well thanks for that, Evans. And for the record, I may be only looking for a shag, but she is 100% aware of that, and I do not have emotional baggage, thanks very much, but even if I did, I’d say I am indeed worth it.” He raised his eyebrows at Lily. “I’m sure you haven’t noticed, because you’re too busy ogling James when you think he’s not looking, but I am very good looking.”

Lily stood up and began furiously, “I do not ogle-”

Peter cleared his throat and interrupted,“So what’s your plan, Prongs? I assume you have some sort of plan that involves us being assigned specific tasks and hours of work and probably breaking several school rules, so go ahead and let us in on it.”

“Why thank you, Wormtail, I’m glad you asked. I do indeed have a plan that fits all the criteria you’ve just described,” replied James, looking pleased with himself in the aftermath of Lily’s reaction to the ‘ogling’ comment. “Now, our first order of business is getting a Christmas tree.”

“And where do you expect to get a Christmas tree? What, are you going to go out on the grounds and cut one down?” Lily rolled her eyes.

“That’s exactly what we’re going to do, Evans. And you are going to help me pick out the perfect tree.”

“And I suppose we’re just going to carry it all the way up here?” Lily asked with another eye roll.

“No, that would just be ridiculous. We’re going to levitate it through the window,” James answered, straightfaced.

“Because that’s not at all ridiculous. Honestly, why can’t you just leave me out of your-”

“You’re right, Evans, it’s not at all ridiculous.” James raised his voice and spoke over her. “So as I was saying, Evans is going to help me pick out the tree. Sirius, you’re going to be on lookout duty, so if you see anyone coming, you can create a diversion so they don’t notice us levitating a tree through the common room window.”

“What diversion did you have in mind?” Sirius asked, looking bored but resigned.

“It’s up to you, although I’d suggest Operation Feather Boa, but it’s really your call.”

“What’s Operation Feather Boa?” Lily tried and failed to repress a laugh.

“That’s on a need-to-know basis, Evans, and right now you don’t need to know,” James replied. “Anyway, while we are selecting the perfect tree and levitating it, Wormtail will be here to guide it through the window.” He glanced at Peter, who gave him a thumbs up. “We’ll have to hang something out the window so it will be easy to spot from down below.” He looked around for something to use, then spotted a Gryffindor tie that Peter had recently found while cleaning out his bag. He snatched it up, then strode over to the window, opened it a crack, and hung the tie out before shutting the window again. “Okay, when you hear a tree tapping on the window, open it up and guide it in. And Moony, you’re our common room lookout, so you can sound the alarm if anyone is coming into the common room. Your chair is conveniently located within sight of the portrait hole and the dormitory stairs, so there’s no need for you to even get up to do your job. You’re welcome.”

“But why do we need a lookout for the common room? The only people coming in will be Gyffindors who will end up seeing the decoration anyway,” Remus protested.

“Right, but we don’t want anyone to see it until the decorations are complete, otherwise it will ruin the surprise,” James explained, as if this should have been obvious.

“But what about them?” Lily asked, pointing to the few students seated around the room who had not gone into Hogsmeade or taken refuge in the library.

“Good point, Evans,” James replied. “Oy, you lot!” he shouted, standing on a nearby chair so as to be seen by everyone. “You’ve got to clear out. Go down to the library, or snog in a broom closet, or wherever else you’d like, as long as you’re not here. We’re planning a surprise for you, but you’re not allowed back until we’re done.” He crossed his arms. “Yes, I’m serious, and yes, I mean you,” he added, pointing at a pair of dubious-looking second years who had been midway through a game of chess. “Out! And spread the word to anyone else that the common room is off limits for a bit. I promise, you’ll thank me later.” There were a few muttered complaints and glares, but the Gryffindors filed out the portrait hole.

Remus rolled his eyes. “That was a bit harsh, but fine, I’ll be lookout. What am I supposed to do if someone comes through the portrait hole and we have a Christmas tree halfway through the window?”

“I dunno, tell them we’ve just set off a bunch of dung bombs and they’d better clear out quick. And Peter can try to stand in front of the tree to block the view. Then once we’ve gotten the tree in and we all come back to the common room, one of us can stand outside the portrait hole and stand guard until we’ve finished in here.” James clapped his hands together as if this settled everything. “So, everyone clear on their assignments? Yes? Then let’s go, people!” He hurried up the dormitory stairs to get his cloak and gloves.

Sirius and Lily looked at each other, then shrugged and followed suit. Once everyone was properly clothed for a Christmas tree search, they headed out the portrait hole. As they made their way through the castle towards the grounds, James began to whistle a tune that was somewhat recognizable as“Jingle Bells,” but his lack of whistling skill made it rather hard to identify the song with any amount of certainty.

“Prongs,” Sirius said warningly, but James only whistled louder. “You’re crap at whistling, you know that?” Sirius continued.

“I’m aware, Padfoot, but as I’ve been forbidden to sing, I’ve had to resort to whistling instead.” He shrugged and continued to butcher the Christmas carol.

Sirius glared at his friend, then turned to Lily. “So, Evans, I take it you’re about as fond of Christmas as I am?” he asked conversationally.

She paused for a moment, considering whether or not she felt like answering, and then seemed to decide that confiding in Sirius was preferable to listening to James whistle. “Well, I don’t have a problem with Christmas in general, it’s just this particular Christmas that I’m not too keen on.” She was quiet for a minute, but when Sirius didn’t comment she continued. “My sister’s boyfriend is coming for Christmas this year, and he’s absolutely horrible. My sister and I don’t get on these days anyway, and she hasn’t told him I’m a witch, so it will be this big secret we have to avoid, and I expect the whole thing will just be a bit of a shitshow.” She stopped talking abruptly, seeming to realize how much she had revealed. 

“What’s his name?” James asked, and Lily was confused for a moment, as she hadn’t thought he’d been listening.

“Er, what’s whose name?”

“Your sister’s boyfriend. Didn’t you say it’s something really dull sounding?”

“Oh, yes, it’s Vernon Dursley. That is the world’s the world’s dullest name, isn’t it?” She glanced at James. “How did you know that?”

“You mentioned it the other day when you were reading a letter she’d sent you. Well, you were telling Mary about it, but as she was sitting on Padfoot’s lap at the time, and I was sitting next to them, I happened to overhear. Anyway, that is, in fact, the world’s worst name, and that’s coming from a bloke with a dad named Fleamont.” 

Lily laughed. “His name’s Fleamont?  _ And  _ he got stuck with you as a son? That’s just unfair.”

“Hey!” James shoved her shoulder lightly. “Careful, Evans, or you’ll be out of this Christmas tree expedition.”

“Yes, because that would be so horrible.” She turned to Sirius. “So what about you, Black? Why do you hate Christmas?”

Sirius shook his hair out of his eyes. “Well, I don’t know how much you know about my family, but they’re kind of shit,” he began. His voice sounded casual, but there was a slight crease in his brow, and his hands were clenched into fists. “Christmas hasn’t really been much fun at my house the past few years, so I just can’t manage to get too excited about it, you know?” He shoved his hands into his pockets and attempted to smile. It looked more like a grimace.

“But this year you’re spending Christmas with the Potters, so you’re going to enjoy Christmas whether you want to or not,” James put in. “My parents are even bigger Christmas fanatics than I am,” he explained to Lily. “We have these really embarrassing snowmen ornaments with our faces on them, except my parents think they’re the best thing ever, and this year they had one made for Sirius. It’s really sweet, actually, even though they’re hideous and rather frightening-looking.” He glanced at Sirius. “Sorry, mate, it’s supposed to be a surprise, so you’ll have to act like you had no idea, but I had to give you a heads up so you can mentally prepare yourself.” He grinned, then turned to Lily. “My parents are quite possibly the sweetest people in existence. Saints, really. Aren’t they, Sirius?”

“They really are. You’d have to be, to put up with us,” Sirius replied. 

“Too right,” said James. By this point they’d made their way outside, and he looked around for the best spot to select a Christmas tree. “Right, I think we’d better go to the other side of the lake, I think there are some pine trees over that way. Padfoot, you should go over to that beech tree we usually sit under. That should give you a good vantage point to see if anyone is heading our way. Remember, if you see anyone coming, create your diversion of choice and then give us some sort of signal to let us know. Why don’t you bark like a dog?” 

“Very original. Right, then, come find me when you’re finished,” Sirius replied, then headed off towards the beech tree.

James and Lily headed for the other side of the lake, keeping their eyes peeled for promising-looking trees. James noticed that the cold had brought some color to Lily’s cheeks, which in turn brought out the green of her eyes. He let his gaze linger for a moment, then looked down at the ground, not wanting to be caught staring.

“So, Sirius is staying at your house for the holiday?” Lily asked.

“Yeah, he actually moved in this summer. He doesn’t really talk about it much, but things got pretty bad for him at home, so he ran away and came to stay at my place. My parents love having him. They think of him like a second son, honestly, and I obviously think it’s great having him there, since we’re sort of attached at the hip, if you haven’t noticed.”

Lily chuckled. “Yeah, I’ve noticed.” She looked up at James, meeting his eye. “That’s really nice that you and your parents took Sirius in like that. I knew things were tough for him at home, but Mary never told me too many details, and I didn’t realize it was that bad… Well, he’s just lucky to have you, that’s all.” She smiled self-consciously.

“That might be the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me, Evans,” James remarked. “Is the cold getting to you? If that’s the case, we could huddle together for warmth.” He winked at her.

She shoved him playfully. “No, I’m all set with that, thanks.” She turned her attention to the trees around them. “What about that one?” She gestured at a nearby pine tree.

“Nah, too short,” James replied, scrutinizing it. “But this one might suit.” They’d stopped in front of a tall, stately evergreen tree. “What do you think?”

“Looks good to me. How are we going to cut it down, anyway?” Lily asked. “I didn’t see you bring a saw.”

“I was just going to use the choppy choppy spell,” James replied, shrugging.

“Bloody hell, if Flitwick could hear you referring to the ‘choppy choppy spell.’” She laughed, then hesitated. “I thought maybe we could cut it down, you know, Muggle-style? It’s how we used to get our Christmas trees when I was a kid.” The corners of her mouth tugged upwards into a hopeful smile.

“Anything to make it a more authentic Christmas experience for you, Evans. I suppose we can borrow a saw from one of the greenhouses. Come on, then.” He strode purposefully in the direction of the greenhouses, and after a moment Lily set off after him. 

“Okay, here’s the plan,” James said, as they approached the first greenhouse. “I’ll nip in and grab a saw, and you stand out here and make sure Sprout doesn’t catch us. If you see her coming, yell ‘treacle tart,’ okay?”

“Why would I say - you know what, never mind.” Lily laughed and shook her head, but stood resolutely by the greenhouse door as James stepped quickly through it. 

She scanned the area, but saw nobody except Sirius, who was leaning against the beech tree smoking. Nevertheless, she opened the door of the greenhouse and shouted, “TREACLE TART!”

James yelped, nearly dropping the saw he was now holding, and ducked under a table laden with various plants. He waited there for a few minutes, but when he heard no sound except Lily’s laughter, he crawled out from under the table and exited the greenhouse, brushing dirt off his cloak and grinning in spite of himself.

“Evans, you broke the #1 rule of being a lookout. You don’t say the signal word unless someone is actually coming!” He couldn’t help laughing when he saw the satisfied smirk on her face, however. “I suppose I deserved that, after I’ve done so many obnoxious things to you,” he admitted. 

“Yes, you definitely deserved it. And I haven’t laughed that hard in a while, so thanks for that. Come on, let’s go cut down a Christmas tree,” she said, and started heading back toward their chosen tree.   
Once they reached the tree, James handed Lily the saw. She took it with a smile and crouched down to begin sawing at the trunk of the tree. It was harder work than she remembered, yet it was somehow satisfying. After a few minutes of effort, the tree began to list slowly to one side, and James caught it easily. 

“Nice work, Evans,” said James. “All right, I’ll just levitate it over towards the window, then. Unless…” An idea had just occurred to him. “Should we carry it? To keep it, how did you put it, Muggle-style?” 

She smiled, more touched by his thoughtfulness than she cared to admit to herself. “All right, then.”

“Okay, you hold the trunk and I’ll grab the top.” They both took hold of opposite sides of the tree and began to walk slowly back towards the castle. “We’ll still have to levitate it through the common room window, though, otherwise Moony and Wormtail won’t have a proper job in this scheme, and I don’t want them to feel left out,” he added seriously. 

“Of course,” Lily replied.

Once they were below the window bearing the forlorn-looking Gryffindor tie, James set the tree down in the snow and glanced up, planning the best approach. “Okay, would you like to do the honors, or should I?”

Lily laughed. “Go ahead. This is your plan, after all.”

“Don’t mind if I do.” James aimed his wand at the tree and said “ _ Wingardium leviosa!”  _ The tree began to rise in the air, getting closer and closer to the common room window. When it reached the window, James used his wand to rotate the tree, then made the trunk tap gently on the glass. After a moment, Peter stuck his head out the window.

“Bring the tree a bit closer and I can grab it and pull it in,” he shouted, and James pointed his wand at the tree and moved it so that it was within Peter’s grasp. Peter reached out and pulled the tree through the window, being careful not to scrape the branches in the process. When it was safely through, he gave them a thumbs up, then shut the window.

James gestured at Sirius to join them, then once they were all gathered under the window, they headed inside. As they walked, Sirius glanced curiously at James.

“What’s with the saw?” he asked. “I thought you’d just use the choppy choppy spell.”

Lily looked from James to Sirius in disbelief. “Really? What are you guys, five?”

James ignored Lily. “I nicked it from one of the greenhouses. Evans wanted to do it Muggle-style, to make it a more authentic Christmas experience for her. I think it added to the fun. And now we have a saw, which I think we’d better hang onto in case it comes in handy. Although,” he added, glaring at Lily, “Evans broke lookout rule number one.”

“Unacceptable, Evans,” Sirius agreed. “Although it’s occasionally admissible if it makes James look foolish. Did he make a sort of panicked yelping sound and hide under something?”

“You know, I think that’s exactly what he did,” Lily answered through her laughter. 

“Sod off, both of you,” James retorted, but he was grinning nevertheless, because he couldn’t help but notice that his two companions were now in much better spirits than they had been before the acquisition of the tree.

When they had reached the entrance to the common room, James gave the password and they all climbed through the portrait hole. Sirius and Lily were still chuckling, but they quieted at once as 

Peter approached them with his finger pressed to his lips. He gestured at Remus, who was fast asleep in his armchair by the fire. 

“Right,” whispered James. “I’ll run up to the dormitory and grab the box of Christmas stuff. We can take turns keeping guard outside the portrait hole, so decide amongst yourselves who will go first. Be right back.” He turned and headed for the dormitory stairs. 

Peter eyed Sirius and Lily, noticing their relaxed smiles, bright eyes, and general sense of enjoyment that had been so absent previously. “You know,” he said, keeping his voice low, “I know we’re not always as enthusiastic about these plans as he is, but he has our best interests at heart.”

“Yeah, yeah,” muttered Sirius, but he couldn’t help privately agreeing with his friend’s statement. He was, after all, feeling much more open to the idea of celebrating Christmas. “Listen, I’ll go first to guard the portrait hole, even though the whole idea of keeping people out until we’ve finished is silly, if you ask me. But anyway, come get me when it’s time to switch off.” With that, he slid through the portrait hole and settled on the floor next to the portrait of the Fat Lady.

“Won’t he get bored out there?” Lily whispered.

“Nah, he usually has a book in his back pocket. That’s when he gets most of his work done, just at random moments when he’s waiting for us or has nothing to do for ten minutes or whatever.” He sounded slightly envious, but there was also admiration in his voice. “Anyway, I’m glad you’re going along with all of this, even though you didn’t seem too keen at first.” He blushed, looking at his feet. “I mean, I know you’re not exactly fond of us, or didn’t used to be, but I think it’s nice… Er, I just think it’s a good thing, for all of us, to have you around, that’s all,” he finished. 

Lily could not remember Peter ever speaking more than a few words to her at a time, so she received this frank pronouncement with surprise and some confusion, as she wasn’t sure why her joining in one of their escapades should hold any significance. However, she could tell it had taken a lot for Peter to get up the nerve to speak these words aloud, so she smiled at him. “Thanks, Peter. It’s no problem at all. I guess I’m having fun after all.”

Before Peter could reply, James joined them, straining under the weight of a large box overflowing with Christmas decorations. “Okay, you take the tree stand, Wormtail, and set up the tree. Probably next to the window is the best spot. Evans, you’re best at Charms, so you can put fairy light on the tree and around the edges of the room and anywhere else you think would look nice, use your best judgement.” He said all this quietly, so as not to disturb Remus, who was still sound asleep by the fire. “And don’t be modest, Evans,” he went on, for she had opened her mouth to protest, “because I know you helped Flitwick do his classroom this year, and it’s the best it’s ever looked. After you’ve got the lights on the tree, I’ll put the ornaments on it and hang some baubles on the ceiling, and Wormtail can do the garlands.” 

His tone left no room for argument, so they began carrying out their assigned tasks. Peter used his wand to drop the tree neatly into the stand, which was charmed to keep the tree in place, and when he had finished, Lily began decorating it with tiny white fairy lights. She turned to James, who was watching their progress with satisfaction. 

“Why do you just happen to have a box of Christmas decorations?” she asked, finishing with the tree and beginning to add fairy lights around the edges of the ceiling. 

“I brought it from home. I always decorate our dormitory, but I had a bunch of stuff left over, so I figured we could use it for the common room.” He shrugged and began using his wand to add red and gold bulbs to the tree. “The lights are looking great so far, by the way,” he added. 

“Thanks for that, I just got all the reading for Transfiguration done,” Sirius said, and James realized Peter must have taken over guard duty. “And look, Pete’s gone and hung all the garlands, so I guess my only job will be to sit here and look pretty.” Sirius sprawled out on the floor next to the tree.

“Not so fast, Padfoot,” James said, pulling a star from the bottom of the box. “I saved the best job for you. You get to hang the star at the top of the tree.” He handed the star to Sirius, trying and failing to suppress a grin.

“Oh, yay,” said Sirius sarcastically, standing up, then taking the star and pulling his wand from his pocket. “Lucky me - wait a second. Prongs, what in the name of Merlin is this?” He stared at the star in his hands, a look of horror on his face. 

“Shh, you’ll wake up Moony,” James chided. “Get it? Cause you’re named after a star!” He chuckled, then tried to make his face stern. “There was quite a bit of time and spellwork that went into creating that, and I don’t much care for your lack of appreciation.” 

“Let me see that,” said Lily, taking a few steps closer to Sirius, but he snatched it out of her reach. “Oh, come on, give it here, Black,” she insisted, and he finally assented, shoving it into her hand with a surly expression on his face. Lily held it up for inspection and instantly burst into giggles, then covered her mouth to stifle the sound. The large gold star had a picture of Sirius in the center, wearing only a santa hat and red boxers. Underneath the photograph was the inscription ‘Sirius Orion Black, Gryffindor’s shining star’ written in stylized cursive letters. “Bloody hell!” Lily whispered. “You said you hated Christmas, Black, but this photo begs to differ.” She handed the star back to him, still laughing.

“Yeah, well, give me half a bottle of Firewhisky and I’ll change my mind about pretty much anything,” Sirius muttered, still scowling. “Prongs, you are the worst, and we are no longer friends.” Nonetheless, he levitated the star and perched it at the top of the tree. 

“Sorry, I couldn’t hear you over the sound of Moony’s snores,” James retorted. “Anyway, I think we’re about finished, so I’ll go get Wormtail.” He headed out the portrait hole, then returned a minute later followed by Peter.

“Wormtail, did you know about this travesty of a Christmas star?” Sirius demanded.

“Yeah, I helped him pick out the photo. We were going to go with one that had you wearing only a carefully placed Santa beard, but we decided it wouldn’t be appropriate for some of the younger students to see that,” Peter said, grinning.   
Upon hearing Peter’s comment, Lily collapsed onto the floor, shaking with uncontrollable laughter, and in her descent she knocked over a nearby chair which hit the floor with a loud clatter. The sound roused Remus from sleep, and he yawned widely and stood, stretching. 

“Sorry, Prongs, I broke rule #2 of lookout duty,” he said, rubbing his eyes. “It looks great in here, though. Did Padfoot see the star yet?”

Yes I did, and I’m not amused,” Sirius said. “Evans is amused enough for the both of us, though, that’s why she’s rolling around on the floor like a crazy person and making that racket that woke you up. Very inconsiderate.” He shot Lily a disdainful look.

“I’m sorry, Remus,” Lily said, trying to contain her laughter and wiping tears of mirth from her eyes. “I didn’t mean to, it’s just so funny…” She dissolved again into giggles.

“It’s fine, I have to be up for patrol duty later anyway,” Remus said with a pained smile. Despite his nap, he looked as drawn and pale as ever.

“You still have time. Go on up to bed and get a bit more sleep, and we’ll wake you up when it’s time,” James offered.

“Yeah, you look exhausted,” Sirius agreed. “Don’t worry, I won’t take the star down while you’re gone.

“No, he won’t,” James told Lily in an undertone, “because I’ve charmed it so it can’t be removed until after Christmas.”

Remus tried to argue, but he found he didn’t have the energy, so he dragged himself upstairs to bed. After he had left, Lily looked from James to Sirius and asked, “You’re not really going to wake him up for patrols, are you? He looks dreadful.” Her features were drawn into a frown of concern.

“Nah, course not,” Sirius answered, “but we had to tell him that, otherwise he wouldn’t listen. He’s very stubborn. But we can’t let you patrol the corridors by yourself, Evans, that wouldn’t be safe. I think Prongs here should go with you.” 

“He can’t, he’s not a prefect,” Lily protested.

“No, but he knows the castle better than any of the prefects, and he knows the rules better than them as well, seeing as we’ve set out to break as many school rules as possible. Plus, he knows all the usual snogging spots, since I’m not a gentleman and therefore do kiss and tell, and I know catching couples snogging is about 90% of what you do on patrols anyway.”

“But-” Lily began, but Sirius continued to talk over her. “So it’s settled, then. I’m going to nip down to the kitchens and get some food, because I think since we’ve decorated the place and all, we might as well have a Christmas party for everyone. A quiet party, mind you, so we don’t disturb Moony, and we can do a  _ Muffliato  _ outside the door just in case. Prongs, why don’t you quietly go up to the room and grab the rest of our drinks stash - we should have enough for tonight, and I’ll restock later this week. You can show Evans the decorations in there, too, although sorry to disappoint you, Evans, but there are no other embarrassing ornaments with my face on them. Wormtail, you can go down to the library and tell the students we banished that they can come back up in about twenty minutes, that should give us enough time to set up the food and drinks.” He raised an eyebrow at them, looking more cheerful than he had all day. “Right, see you in a few,” he added, then turned and headed out through the portrait hole.

“Look at that, you got him more excited about Christmas than you are,” Lily observed, a note of surprised admiration in her voice.

“What can I say? I know how to spread Christmas cheer,” James answered, running a hand through his hair. “Anyway, what do you say, are we patrolling the corridors together later?”

“But you’ll miss your party,” Lily protested feebly, not sure why her protests were so feeble, but not letting herself think too much about it.

“There will be other parties,” he said, shrugging. “Besides, I’m sure it will still be going when we get back. And we can have a drink or two before we go. Yeah, yeah, I know you’re a prefect and that wouldn’t be responsible, but it is Christmas after all.”

“It’s only December 4th,” she reminded him, but she did not protest further. Somehow, the adventure of getting the tree, the twinkling fairy lights, the hilarity of the Christmas star, the prospect of surprising their house with a party, all the unexpectedly enjoyable aspects of the day combined together to create a feeling of irrepressible Christmas cheer. She had caught the Christmas spirit that James had so sought to share with his group of grumpy friends that morning, as had the rest of them, and she couldn’t help but let herself be buoyed up by his enthusiasm and sheer force of will. She felt something else, too, a sort of vague, unidentifiable hope for possibilities unknown, but she did not let herself examine this too closely. Idly, she glanced out the window.  _ It’s starting to snow,  _ she thought, smiling to herself, before following James upstairs to carry out the rest of the plan.

Hours later, Sirius stood atop a table in the common room wearing the same Santa hat that appeared in the controversial Christmas star photo. He was drunk heading towards plastered, and he had just finished belting out a rather off-key rendition of “God Rest Ye Merry Hippogriffs.” Pausing to take a snack from the food table, he plopped down in his favorite chair by the fire, which tended to remain empty because he had been known to shout at students who unknowingly took his preferred seat. He ran through the events of the day, wondering how he had been persuaded to feel so favorably towards Christmas. Because even before consuming copious amounts of firewhisky he had been happy, even excited, about surprising everyone with the decorations and the last minute party, as well as about the prospect of celebrating Christmas with the Potters. He mulled this over, wondering how on earth a day that by all accounts should have put him into a more foul mood (he’d sat out in the cold as a lookout, then sat outside the common room and read his Transfiguration textbook, never mind the humiliating ornament he’d been forced to see atop the Gryffindor Christmas tree) had actually gotten him into the Christmas spirit.  _ Bloody hell, Prongs is good _ , he thought. His thoughts wandered to Lily, whose company he had actually enjoyed today, and who seemed by all accounts to be not just tolerating James, but perhaps even warming to him. He mused that he wouldn’t mind having her around, as she was funnier than he’d realized, and she seemed to fit well with the group, catching on to things that most outsiders didn’t seem to understand. He crossed his fingers, hoping his friend’s luck was beginning to change, before standing up and resuming his position on top of the table, pulling Mary Macdonald up with him. “Okay, who wants to hear us do ‘Jingle Bells’?”

Across the room, Peter leaned against the wall, sipping a drink and watching his friend’s antics with amusement.  _ Quiet party, my arse,  _ he thought, watching Sirius hold his wand up for Mary to use as a microphone, but he couldn’t muster too much concern about it. He was pleasantly buzzed, and full of Chocolate Frogs, and felt oddly hopeful after the events of the day. He had always viewed his inclusion in their group of friends with an air of surprise and disbelief, and had always tried to avoid upsetting the delicate balance of things, lest his friends realize that Peter did not in fact belong and hastened to rectify this apparent error. He had a feeling that Remus felt similarly about his own place in the friend group, but Peter knew his friend’s fears were unfounded. Remus’s condition acted as a uniting force, an obstacle for everyone to work together against, but Peter had much less confidence in his own position. Because of Peter’s perception of his own position in the Marauders, he would typically view a new person in their midst as a source of anxiety and worry, his reasoning being that a new person would possibly leave no room for him and force him out. However, he had gotten quite the opposite impression from Lily’s involvement in their scheme today. Rather than threatening his fragile membership in the group, he had a vague feeling that she could actually help cement it. Something about the way she had listened to him, the way she seemed to grasp the dynamic of the way the four friends interacted, the way James seemed to be more focused on the scheme rather than less so when she was involved, all combined to fill Peter with hope and optimism. This was a change he could get on board with, and he too crossed his fingers for his friend, smiling and shaking his head slightly as he continued to watch Sirius, who was now attempting to catch Bertie Botts in his mouth in between verses. 

Up in the dormitory, Remus awoke to the distant sound of singing, raucous laughter, and a sort of jingling clatter. He distinctly heard Sirius’s voice shout, “Oy! If you knock the star off the top of that tree I’ll hex you. My mate spent hours on that so you can all feast your eyes on my sexy and festive self, so watch it!” Torn between annoyance and amusement, Remus pulled open the hangings around his bed, intending to get a drink of water. His eyes fell onto a piece of parchment placed on his bedside table. Next to the parchment was a bar of Honeydukes chocolate. Curious, Remus picked up the parchment and began to read. 

_ Hi, Remus. _

_ We decided not to wake you up for patrols after all, as you seemed like you could use the rest. Sorry, I know you hate this sort of thing because it makes you feel like you’re “shirking your prefect duties,” but it’s really no big deal. James has agreed to go with me instead, which makes very little sense as he’s not a prefect, but Sirius had about ten reasons why he would make an acceptable substitute, so I decided not to argue. I left you a snack, as I always feel that chocolate makes everything better. Get well soon! _

_ -Lily _

_ P.S. Perhaps as payback for the chocolate, you could tell me what Operation Feather Boa is, as I’m dying of curiosity, but everyone else is frustratingly hush hush on the subject. _

Smiling in spite of his headache, which if anything had only increased in intensity since his hours of sleep, he tore open the chocolate wrapper and broke off a square. He popped it into his mouth, feeling absurdly grateful for Lily’s small act of kindness. Throughout the past two years, the pair had struck up a tentative friendship through their many hours of shared prefect duties. He had become fond of Lily, and along with this fondness had also come a vague suspicion mixed with hope. It was an idea he had never voiced aloud, and indeed had not really let himself think about for too long or in too much detail. Tonight, however, the chocolate dissolving on his tongue, combined with the winking fairy lights twined around his bedposts and the pleasant memory of James’s success in decorating the common room, brought that vague hope to the front of his mind and forced him to examine it. It had become clearer and clearer to him in the past few months that Lily was more fond of James than she would ever admit, and the events of today had convinced him past the point of no return. Now it was suddenly so obvious that not only could they work together, but that Lily would be absolutely perfect, not just as a match for James, but as an addition to their friend group. She fit in, somehow, with their idiosyncrasies and antics and harebrained schemes. He could even imagine, with trepidation, of course, as even an imagined exposure caused him anxiety, a situation in which she discovered his secret, or James insisted on telling her, and she reacted not with disgust or fear, but with the same acceptance his friends had shown him years ago when they had made the same discovery. But, of course, he was getting ahead of himself. For now, he would have to just wait and see how things played out. Smiling to himself, he took another bite of chocolate, then settled back in bed to get a few more hours of sleep.

Several floors below, James kept pace with Lily as they patrolled the corridors, and he tried not to dwell on how often she had broken into that bright, ringing laughter, or how the torchlight reflected off her hair, or how she was actually listening to what he had to say without calling him an arrogant toerag. Somehow, this day had surpassed all his expectations, which was impressive considering how high his expectations tended to be. Since that fateful day at the end of last term, he had made a noticeable effort to “deflate his head a bit,” as he privately thought of it, but he had seen little to no payoff until today. Somehow his off the cuff Christmas scheme had somehow managed to cheer up Remus and Sirius, bring everyone together in pursuit of a semi-ridiculous goal, and persuaded Lily to view him in a more favorable light than she ever had before. While a more cautious person would make an effort not to get his hopes up to avoid disappointment, and would refrain from commenting on the perceived change to avoid looking foolish, James Potter was definitely not a cautious person, so he opened his mouth and said the first thing that occurred to him. “Evans, you don’t hate me anymore, do you?”

She glanced at him, surprised, then burst into laughter. “No, Potter, I don’t hate you anymore. I actually wanted to say thank you for today. It was exactly what I needed, what we all needed, really. So thanks for that.”

He grinned and ran a hand through his hair, then stopped midway through and shoved his hand into his pocket, hoping she hadn’t noticed. “You’re welcome,” he said, replaying her words in his head. She didn’t hate him anymore. There was quite a gap between that admission and agreeing to go out with him, but it was a step in the right direction, and his mind was already racing ahead, imagining all the possibilities and scheming and making him dizzy with hope and excitement. Perhaps it was due to his arrogance (as Lily had often asserted), perhap it was because he as an optimist (James prefered to believe this was the reason), or perhaps, most likely, it was due to a combination of both factors, but James Potter had an incredible capacity for hope and an ability to stick to even the most seemingly unattainable goals. So even though he knew they still had a long way to go, and he would have to be patient, he couldn’t help feeling like this was a big step in the right direction. 

_ It’s a damn Christmas miracle,  _ he thought, as they continued down the corridor to finish the patrol.


End file.
